


Stolen kisses, secret lives

by whitecrossgirl



Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Secret Relationship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-14
Updated: 2021-02-22
Packaged: 2021-03-12 11:14:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 13,529
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28759410
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whitecrossgirl/pseuds/whitecrossgirl
Summary: Set after 5x03 A drunken kiss one night in Hotch's office changes everything between Hotch and Emily. They had hidden and suppressed their feelings for so long but what was life without the occasional risk?
Relationships: Aaron Hotchner/Emily Prentiss
Comments: 22
Kudos: 76





	1. Chapter 1

It was late. Very late. After they had returned to the BAU after watching the police shoot the three men who had murdered people just for fun; they had needed a drink. More than one. The crystal decanter filled with the 25 year scotch that Rossi swore cost more than a house was almost empty; Rossi himself seemed to have dozed off and Aaron and Emily were sitting on the couch, nursing their drinks. For the past hour or so, after Rossi had fallen asleep, they had started talking about anything and everything.

It was one of those rare late-night slightly-not-sober conversations where everything was said without judgement. Without fear that it would be used against them. It would remain in the privacy of this night. Even the most secretive and burdened of souls could be bared on a night like tonight and the two most secretive and burdened souls were the ones being bared tonight for the other to see.

“You know you really scared me.” Emily admitted quietly. “I know nobody’s infallible but seeing you suddenly crash, that actually scared me more than the scene at your apartment.”

“How?” Aaron asked quietly. It was a testament to their conversation. He had never before and probably never would again hear Emily Prentiss admit that she was scared.

“Your apartment was just another crime scene. A familiar one but still a crime scene. You in the hospital, that was real. In almost three years, I’d never really seen you be beaten. Never saw you down. And that scared me. Because I thought I was going to lose you.” Emily admitted, resting her head on his shoulder, taking another sip of her whisky. Her throat had long become numb to the burn of the liquid but she sipped it anyway.

“You made me feel like that before.” Aaron said suddenly, causing Emily to lift her head and look at him. “In Colorado, we heard you being beaten and I wanted to run in and safe you. I could hear you saying that you could handle it but I just wanted to help you, stop you from being hurt.”

“Superman always has to save the day.” Emily quipped with a small smile as Aaron shook his head.

“Not this time, he can’t.” Aaron said morosely as Emily sat up and rested her hand on his shoulder. They weren’t normally as tactile as this but tonight was just one of those nights; whether it was the alcohol, the conversation or both, something had made her reach out and touch him. For once, he didn’t resist the touch either.

“Yes you can, because you have the rest of us with you, helping you every step of the way. You’ll get through this because we’ll get through this. Together.” Emily said as they looked at one another. 

They looked either for a fraction of a second for too long or they had looked at one another for just the right amount of time. It was impossible to say who had made the first move. Maybe both of them had. All that mattered was that they moved closer and kissed each other. There was no hesitation, no chance of regrets; how could they regret something that felt so pure, so right. Maybe they were drunk but that didn’t matter right now. All that mattered was each other; the feeling of his hands on her waist and her hands in his hair as they relished this embrace; this moment of being together.

A sudden, rasping snore from the other side of the room caused them to jump apart, staring around for the source. Rossi snorted slightly and continued to snore, albeit quietly than he had just done. Aaron and Emily looked at one another and burst out laughing. It wasn’t that funny but the sheer absurdity of the situation just made them see it in a funnier way. Their drunken make-out session was interrupted by their snoring team member.

“I should go,” Emily whispered as they rested their foreheads together. The moment had been ruined. There would be questions tomorrow, conversations to be had. Although they were too drunk to mind tonight, tomorrow would be a different story. 

“It might be a good idea.” Aaron admitted. He hadn’t wanted the moment to end but now that it had and reality tempted to intervene. However despite what may come tomorrow along with the hangover, there was one thing that he was certain of. “I don’t regret it.”

“Neither do I,” Emily confessed. For tonight at least, they did not regret it. Tomorrow would be different and if all they had was this moment tonight, so be it. As they gathered their things and called for cabs to come and take them home; they carefully avoided touching or looking at one another too much; aware of how they had crossed a line tonight and the tension hung in the air between them. As they stepped into the cold, dark night; the cool air seemed to help sober them up slightly and as Emily got into the cab, she smiled at Aaron. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Good night Emily,” Aaron said as he watched the cab speed off. Tomorrow things would be different but he stood by what he said. He did not regret anything that happened tonight.


	2. Chapter 2

_ Sound off: still alive? _

It was a habit they had fallen into after Aaron had been stabbed; texting one another first thing in the morning. Initially it had been her way of ensuring Aaron didn’t completely cut himself off from everyone in those first few days after his attack. Before they realised, it had become their thing to text and check in. Neither of them particularly liked being coddled or fussed over so it helped to just confirm that they had survived the night. 

_ Slightly hungover but better than Rossi. He was still sleeping in my office when I got here. _

Emily smiled at the mental image of Rossi waking up in Aaron’s office; confused, hungover and completely oblivious to what had happened between the two agents the night before. Last night… 

She still stood by what she had said the night before. She didn’t regret it. Had she not wanted to do it, she would have pushed him away; but she didn’t. She kissed him back. Or first. She wasn’t sure who had kissed who first; not that it mattered. They had both wanted it and both went for it. 

They would have to talk about it; decide whether it was a one time thing, just a drunk kiss between two friends or was it maybe something more. She couldn’t deny that she had thought about it; both the pros and the cons of getting into a relationship with Aaron but always disregarded the possibility of it ever happening. Rule one was never to date a coworker. Rule two was never date a supervisor. Besides, until last night, she had always assumed that those feelings were one sided but considering Aaron had either kissed her first or kissed her back then maybe there was something more between them than she thought. 

A second text jolted her from her thoughts and reminded her that she was risking being late for work. 

_ Are you OK? I was thinking we could talk at lunch if there’s no case. _

There was the punctual and precise Aaron Hotchner she knew. There was never any beating around the bush with him; instead facing it head on. She wouldn’t have expected anything else. Emily quickly sent a reply before she left her apartment. 

_ Sounds good, I’ll see you soon. _

Aaron set his phone into his pocket and turned his attention back to the file he was writing. The write up of their most recent case was more challenging than he thought and he had to admit; there was only one thing that happened yesterday that was fixated in his mind and it wasn’t the case. He couldn’t deny that he had wanted to kiss Emily for the longest time; part of him couldn’t believe it had actually happened. He had never considered that Emily would have thought about him that way and had never thought she would have kissed him. Whether she kissed him first or kissed him back, he wasn’t sure. What he was sure of, however, was that last night was the first night since he had been attacked that he had not had flashbacks or nightmares of that night. Instead he had dreamed of Emily and Jack. he couldn’t remember what had happened in his dream, all he knew was that in his dream, they were safe and happy. Something which he knew was unlikely to happen for a long time. 

If ever. 

The remorse twisted in his stomach at the thought of his selfishness. He knew he had to be focused on tracking Foyet, on capturing him and ensuring the safety of Jack and Haley. How could he consider his own happiness when there was so much at stake. Besides, he doubted Emily really had feelings for him. How could someone as wonderful, clever, funny, brave and brilliant as Emily Prentiss ever have feelings for him. He hoped it hadn’t been a sympathy kiss. That didn’t seem like the sort of thing Emily did but then again, he doubted Emily would ever have the same feelings for him that he had for her. 

“Hotch? Hotch?”

Aaron looked up to see JJ standing in the doorway, offering a concerned look. “Are you OK?”

“Yeah, just thinking,” Aaron replied and he tried to ignore the now-familiar worried look JJ gave him before she yawned. “Are you alright?”

“Henry’s teething,” JJ replied and glanced over her shoulder. “Also wanted to give the heads up that Strauss is on a rampage today. Just in case she comes in here.”

“Thanks JJ, give Rossi the heads up. You know he starts arguments with her for fun.” Aaron said and JJ smiled. That was true, one of the reasons why Strauss seemed to have backed off on clamping down on the team was because it almost always ended in a huge argument between her and Rossi. Rossi relished in arguing with Strauss and butting heads with her. 

“I will,” JJ said and paused. “You know we’re here for you if you need to talk.”

“I know JJ, thanks,” Aaron replied. He had hated the team seeing him so vulnerable and weak but had he not had the team behind him, he knew he would have never coped. He wasn’t fully ready to open up but the knowledge that the team was there for when he needed to and was ready to help more than he could express. As Garcia had remarked; they weren’t just a team. They were a family. 

Thanks to JJ’s warning, the rest of the morning passed quietly for the BAU team. There were no pressing cases and they were taking the time to catch up on paperwork, have a semi-regular work day and have conversations that didn’t have to revolve around a case. Before long, it was quarter past twelve and the team were drifting off to have their lunch. Emily shut her files and picked them up take them up to Aaron’s office. All morning they had been glancing at the clock, thinking about lunch and the inevitable conversation between them. Emily walked up to Aaron’s office and tapped on the door.

“Come in,” Aaron called as Emily walked into the room. He tried to ignore the flicker in his stomach as she walked in and handed him the files. He set them aside and for a moment they looked at one another before Emily sat on the couch. This made it clear that she was ready to talk and it was not the sort of conversation that could take place on opposite sides of a desk. Aaron joined her on the couch and glanced through the window; seeing a mostly empty bullpen below and knowing they weren’t likely to be interrupted. All morning they had thought about what had happened and what was about to happen. Yet now that the moment had come, the words didn’t. 

“I stand by what I said last night, I don’t regret it,” Aaron said finally. “I kissed you because I wanted to and I’ve wanted to for a long time.”

“I was going to say the same,” Emily admitted. “So what happens? Either it was a one-off or it wasn’t. And if it wasn’t, then that’s a whole other conversation in itself.”

“That’s what I’ve been thinking about all morning, I-I don’t it to be a one-off but if you do, then I respect that.” Aaron said, noticing that Emily was picking her thumbnail. Something she only did if she was nervous or anxious about something. Subconsciously, he reached over and set his hand over hers. Emily looked down at their hands and smiled softly.

“I don’t want it to be a one-off either,” Emily said. “I know there’s a lot to consider and even more things at risk, beyond our jobs but I think we owe it to ourselves to try.”

For a moment, they sat in silence. They were on the same page and they both knew what they wanted but where did they go from here?

“This is harder to do sober than I thought.” Aaron muttered and Emily laughed at the comment. 

“And that was the first joke you’ve ever made.” Emily quipped and Aaron playfully shoved her shoulder. “I can’t remember the last time you smiled.”

“Neither can I,” Aaron confessed as Emily tightened her hold on his hand. “Maybe that can change.”

“I know it will,” Emily reassured as Aaron glanced through the window, ensuring the bullpen was still empty before he raised Emily’s hand to his lips and kissed it. 

“Have dinner with me tonight,” Aaron offered. There was less chance of them being overheard if they talked things through properly away from the BAU. It would be better for them to figure out what this was between them before letting the team find out. If things were misinterpreted or misunderstood, it had the potential to be turned against them. 

“OK,” Emily said. “Pick me up around seven?”

“It’s a date,” Aaron said as Emily stood up and walked for the door.

“Well, I better get back to work, my Unit Chief is a bit of a hardass.” Emily quipped and Aaron shook his head fondly. 

“Yeah, he sounds like an ass.” Aaron remarked and Emily shrugged her shoulders.

“He has his moments. I’ll see you tonight.” Emily said as she walked down into the bullpen. She could feel Aaron’s eyes on her and she resisted the temptation to look back up into his office. They had taken the first step in figuring out what this was between them but she knew that they would get there. 


	3. Chapter 3

What the hell was he playing at?

The thought crashed into his head with full force as he walked into the apartment. As was habit; his gaze fell on the still visible bleach patch on the carpet before the repainted drywall caught his attention. For a fraction of a second, he thought he saw a flash of black before he caught himself. He knew he was alone in his apartment. It didn’t stop him from methodically checking the rooms and ensuring all of the windows were locked before he even approached the safe where he kept his guns. All the while, as he cleared his apartment, that one thought was running around in his mind. 

What the hell was he playing at?

How could he be reckless enough to risk Emily’s life? If Foyet was watching him, and Hotch knew he would be, if Foyet was watching him and saw that he was dating Emily; that would put her directly in his crosshairs. He couldn’t risk Emily’s life for his own selfish desires. Even if she somehow wasn’t put at risk; how could he be so self-centred and selfish? Haley and Jack were in protective custody; their lives at risk because of him and instead of spending every moment trying to capture and kill Foyet; he was focusing on his non-existent love life. 

Maybe it was a mistake? Maybe they had misunderstood what had happened last night; they had been pretty drunk after all. Maybe Emily had gotten him confused with, with, Morgan or someone? There was no way someone as amazing as Emily could ever have feelings for him. 

The sound of his phone ringing jolted him from his thoughts and Aaron saw Emily’s name flash on the screen.  _ Probably her calling to cancel _ , a spiteful voice in his head said as he answered the call. “Hotchner?”

“Hey, I was just calling to find out what the plan is,” Emily said as she leant against her car. They actually hadn’t organised anything; just that they would have dinner together.

“Oh, yeah, I-” Aaron began and on her end of the phone, Emily understood what had happened. He had gotten lost in his own head again. One thing she knew about Aaron was that he actually had very low self-esteem. He could command a room, lead the team, interrogate an unsub until they wept but behind the facade, she knew there was a lot of self-doubt. Especially in matters relating to his personal life. 

“I’m coming over.” Emily said decisively. “And don’t argue with me, you won’t win. I’ll be there in ten minutes.”

Emily hung up before Aaron could say anything and got into her car. After taking a second to wish a violent, brutal death on Foyet; she turned the ignition and drove to Aaron’s apartment. When she pulled up outside the building, Emily instinctively glanced around before she entered the building and up the stairs towards Aaron’s apartment. As her shoes echoed off the walls, she couldn’t help but remember when she went to find Aaron, before she learnt he had been attacked. Quickly shaking her head to dispel those thoughts, Emily knocked on the door and waited for an answer. For a moment, she didn’t expect to receive one before she heard the slide of a bolt and the click of a lock and Aaron opened the door. 

“Talk to me,” Emily said as they sat on the couch. She could see the faint tremble in Aaron’s hand and reached over, linking her fingers with his. 

“I can’t do this; I want to, really I do; but I can’t risk your safety. If he’s watching me, stalking me, that will put you in danger.” Aaron explained; he was doing his best to keep the floodgates from opening; from blurting out every worry, thought and concern that was weighing down on his soul. Emily looked at their hands and looked directly into his eyes. 

“I already am,” Emily explained and at Aaron’s widened, stunned eyes, she explained. “Like you said; he’s been watching you, stalking you. After he left you at the hospital, he would have had to stick around to see who came to look for you. He would have seen me here that day. He probably saw me several times over that month; every time I came to see you or when I walked you up after that first case back. Hell, if he’s watching tonight then he knows I’m here. The asshole could jump me the second I walk out.”

“Emily-” Aaron began but Emily shook her head.

“I’m not finished. Is this a risk? Yes, but it’s one that I’m willing to take. He’s going to want to see you struggle, to watch your life fall apart. He wants to see you like this; alone, afraid and broken. But you’re none of those things, you’ve never been any of those things. If you give in, then he wins. I’m not going to let him win. Are you?” Emily asked, looking steadily at Aaron. She could almost see the debate raging in his mind, could almost hear the gears turning in his brain as he weighed up and debated all the possibilities. Despite everything hanging over their heads, Emily was still here. She was still beside him, holding his hand and being far, far stronger than he could ever hope to be. He had never known how much he needed her in his life until now. 

And he was damned if he was going to let her go. 

“No, I’m not.” Aaron decided. “I want you to be happy, I want to be happy.”

“And we will be,” Emily reassured. “Whatever happens, I’m here and I’m not going anywhere. We’re in this together and we’ll face what comes.”

“Together,” Aaron said as he kissed her. Unlike their kiss the night before; this one was soft, gentle, almost timid. Aaron rested his forehead against hers. “I’m sorry, this wasn’t exactly what I had in mind for a first date.”

“It’s OK; I expected us to get called away on a case,” Emily quipped as her stomach rumbled, causing them both to laugh. “Takeout?”

“Sounds good,” Aaron said.

A few hours later, they lay on the couch together; empty take out cartons lay on the table in front of them and they were half watching the TV, half taking the time to enjoy each other’s company. Aaron’s arm was a warm, comforting weight around Emily’s waist and her dark hair tickled his chin as she nestled against him. With all the chaos that surrounded their lives and the world they lived in; this time out, this calm stillness was all they needed. They had eaten; joked about the team and were able to forget the darkness that hung over them. Emily stifled a yawn and glanced at her watch, surprised to see it was after ten thirty.

“It’s late, I should go.” Emily said as they sat up. Aaron flicked off the TV and walked her over to the door, both of them putting their shoes on. “You don’t need to walk me down to my car.”

“I know, I want to,” Aaron replied, ensuring he had his keys in his pocket. It wouldn’t do to lock himself out of his own apartment. 

“Guess chivalry isn’t dead,” Emily quipped as they walked out of the apartment. As the door closed behind them, Aaron took her hand in his and squeezed it tightly. Together they walked down the stairs and out to Emily’s car. 

“I’m sorry this wasn’t the date you had in mind,” Aaron said as Emily smiled at him and kissed him.

“I mean it; it’s OK. As long as we’re spending time together, I’m happy. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Emily said as she got into the car.

“Text me when you get home,” Aaron said. He waited until she had safely driven off before he returned upstairs. Once inside, he had to wonder how lucky he had been to have someone as wonderful as Emily in his life. She deserved the world and yet, she wanted him. He would hold onto her words, allow them to reassure and comfort him. Emily was right; as long as they were together, they would handle whatever came next.


	4. Chapter 4

Over the next week or so; Aaron and Emily found themselves developing their ability to keep their personal and professional lives separate as they worked on a case in Arkansas. They knew that should their relationship become known to the higher ups (especially Strauss); their ability to remain professional when they worked together would be under the spotlight. The fraternisation rules existed for a reason, after all. Therefore when they were on the clock; they were Hotch and Prentiss, focused on working the case, catching the unsub and doing their jobs. When they were off the clock, they still couldn’t be with each other. They were doubled up on rooms and as Emily was staying with JJ and Aaron was sharing with Rossi, they knew that the slightest hint that they were together would be instantly noticed by the two. 

It hadn’t been easy but they managed; settling for sound off texts in the morning, a quick squeeze of one another’s hand in the privacy of the empty conference room, a peck on the cheek before the elevator doors opened. It wasn’t ideal but it was to help ensure the team weren’t put under any further scrutiny because this was something that was theirs. Not the Bureau’s, not the team’s, not the cases’s. Theirs. 

By the time the case was wrapped up; the unsub had been caught and they had finished up at the precinct, it had been too late to fly back and Morgan had been the one to suggest that they hang out in his and Reid’s room. Partly due to being unfamiliar with the town but also as a way for them to let off steam and spend time together. Also because they knew this case had been difficult for JJ; she hadn’t explained why but they could tell it had gotten under her skin. When cases were difficult for them; the team tended to cope in various ways. Aaron, Rossi and Emily tended to isolate themselves, Morgan vented his feelings by going on runs, Reid buried himself in his novels or scribbled his thoughts in a journal; JJ required a support network, just for the reassurance that she was OK. 

With the plan agreed, the team found themselves grouped in Morgan and Reid’s twin room dressed either in their pajamas or the casual sweats they brought on a case. As it was his idea, Morgan had elected to go on a snack run and returned with pizza, beers, soda, candy and popcorn. 

“This feels like a slumber party.” JJ quipped as she propped herself against the headboard of Morgan’s bed. 

“Don’t tell Garcia, she’d kill us.” Reid quipped as he snatched a handful of jelly beans. 

“This doesn’t feel like any slumber party I’ve ever seen,” Rossi said wryly and before he could stop himself, Aaron responded. Normally he wasn’t one for telling jokes but when offered such an obvious one, even he had to take it.

“Well considering most of the ones you’ve seen are on a certain website; we shouldn’t consider you an expert.” Aaron said quickly. There was a split second of silence before the room erupted into laughter. Even Reid joined in after Emily hissed the word ‘Porn’ in his ear. Morgan reached over and smacked Aaron a high five as JJ picked up her phone and texted Garcia.

“OK, I know we shouldn’t tell her but I couldn’t let that one go.” JJ explained as she quickly sent a text.

_ Having sleepover in R+M’s room. Hotch just made a porn joke. Wish you were here. JJ x _

Less than ten seconds later, JJ’s phone buzzed with a response.

_ Get on a laptop now. Video call.  _

“Guys who’s got the laptop?” JJ called as Aaron went to fetch it from his and Rossi’s room. As he went, Aaron smiled to himself as the thought of Emily laughing at his joke. The way her face lit up and her shoulders had shaken because he knew she had worked out what he was going to say about halfway through the sentence. Because she was Emily and Emily had a wicked sense of humour. All he had wanted to do in that moment was kiss her. He had to wonder at his own lack of self control. He had hidden those feelings, repressed those thoughts and urges about Emily for months, only now the floodgates had been opened and if he was truly honest, he didn’t want to have to close them again. 

Aaron picked up the laptop and charger. As he stepped out of the room and closed the door, he found himself face to face with Emily. “What are you doing out here?”

“I’m just getting something from my room,” Emily replied as she quickly glanced up and down the hall. Morgan and Reid’s room door was closed tight and she knew they didn’t have much time. Quickly, she kissed him and they smiled at the thought. Two grown adults, FBI agents, sneaking kisses in the hallway like two teenagers who had sneaked out of class. Aaron broke the kiss and took the laptop back towards Morgan and Reid’s room while Emily headed for her and JJ’s. By the time they had the laptop set up, Emily had reappeared in a large zip up hoodie and they were waiting for the call to connect. 

“OK the one time Boss Man makes a joke and I’m not around! That’s not fair!” Garcia claimed as the call connected. Like them, she was in pajamas, bright pink and with strawberries on them and armed with a glass of wine. 

“I’m sorry Garcia,” Aaron apologised as he passed JJ a slice of pizza.

“Yeah, when he schedules his next joke in five years, he’ll let you know.” Emily quipped and grinned innocently at him as the others laughed. Aaron shot her a mock glare as Garcia called attention back to her. 

“So what brought on this slumber party anyway?” Garcia asked, slightly jealous that she wasn’t there. It looked like the team were enjoying themselves and considering how dark this case had been; it was the kind of thing they needed. 

“JJ wanted to hang out but it was Morgan’s idea.” Reid explained.

“We can have a team night out when we get back.” JJ suggested. “We’ve not had one for ages.”

“Sounds good,” Garcia said and propped herself up. “We should play a game!”

“Do we have to?” Reid asked worriedly. Garcia’s games always seemed to involve some form of embarrassment for him; either reckless dares, spilling secrets or general discomfort.

“Yes we do!” Garcia insisted. “What about Truth or Dare?”

“We’re too sober.” JJ said. Their best rounds of truth or dare needed a seven-drink minimum to really get going.

“Never have I ever?” Morgan offered.

“Not enough booze,” Emily answered. Considering how much they knew about each other and the different things they had done in their lives; they would need a full bar for it to be a good game. 

“What about Two Truths and A Lie?” Garcia suggested and explained at Reid’s puzzled look. “We each say three things about ourselves but one has to be a lie. Everyone else has to guess which one it is.”

“I’ll go first,” Morgan offered. “I’m the middle child. I once went undercover as a drag queen. I’m scared of cats.”

“The drag queen’s a lie.” JJ insisted. “There’s no way you’d pass for a drag queen.”

“The cat’s the lie.” Rossi countered. “I remember that case in Oregon when you found the abandoned kittens. You wouldn’t let them go.”

“Let’s vote. Thumbs up for Drag Queen. Thumbs down for Cat.” Garcia suggested as she gave her own thumbs up. There was no way her Derek Morgan could hide something as huge as going undercover as a drag queen.

“I am afraid of cats. They’re little demons. Kittens I can handle but full grown ones… hell no!” Morgan explained as everyone shouted in response. “I can explain; I was a rookie; they needed someone on the inside and no; there are no photographs.”

“Boo!” Emily jeered. “Garcia, find those photos!”

“On it my lovely! Once I see them, everyone will.” Garcia promised. “Reid, your turn!”

“Do I have to?” Reid asked but the look from Garcia was enough. “Alright. I once got banned from a casino for card counting. I never wear matching socks. I’ve never read the Harry Potter books.”

“Casino’s a lie.” Aaron said quickly. 

“It’s definitely not the socks,” Emily said, gesturing to the socks he was currently wearing. One was green with little avocados on it. The other was had red and grey stripes. “It’s the Harry Potter books.”

“Come on, Reid not reading?!” Morgan challenged. “I’m with Hotch, it’s the casino.”

“Let’s vote.” Garcia said. “Thumbs up for casino, thumbs down for the books.” the team voted and Reid grinned at them.

“The casino is a lie. Technically, I was banned from three different casinos, not one.” Reid explained. “Rossi’s turn.”

“Alright; I once had a crazed stalker. I’ve been engaged four times but married three. I once got to third base with Chief Strauss.” Rossi said as the team burst out laughing.

“This one’s easy. There is no way you did that with Strauss.” Morgan insisted.

“Definitely. Even Rossi has standards.” JJ quipped as Reid nodded in agreement. Emily glanced over and saw the look in Aaron’s face. The amused expression was gone and she felt a flicker of worry, wondering if he was in pain. His expression had turned haunted and he was staring down at the floor without seeing it. 

“Hotch, you OK?” Emily asked carefully, the others looked towards him, clearly sharing the same concerns as Emily was albeit not to the same extent she was. Aaron shook his head and took a deep, shuddering breath. Now that he faced them, they saw his expression was almost nauseated. 

“The engagement is the lie. Rossi did get to third base with Chief Strauss. I caught them in a supply closet.” Aaron confessed; it had to be one of the most gruesome things he had seen and considering the worrying amount of dismembered and decayed bodies he had seen; that was saying something.

“He’s right. In my defense, we were younger and pretty damn drunk at the Christmas party.” Rossi admitted, a touch of pride in his tone. Hell, if they knew what he and Erin had gotten up to back in the day…

“Oh my god!” Garcia and JJ shrieked in horror. Reid shuddered in terror at the thought. Emily leant over and pretended to vomit as Morgan looked dismayed. Aaron shook his head to try and forget the memory and instead focused on the team’s reactions. 

“I respected you man!” Morgan yelled; he didn’t know how he could look Rossi in the eye. They knew Rossi’s infamous reputation around the Quantico building but none of them ever thought he would have done that with Strauss. 

“Well I’m traumatised so I’m going to drink until this conversation has been forgotten. I’ll love you and leave you!” Garcia said as she drained her wine glass and ended the call. Rossi shook his head, aware that the conversation could not be saved and content that he had messed with the team’s heads enough for one night.

“Well, I guess it’s my bedtime. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.” Rossi said as he stood up.

“Like Strauss!” Morgan jeered as Rossi left the room. As the door closed, the team broke into laughter again. “I can’t believe that happened.”

“Trust me, it did.” Aaron said darkly as he took another drink. Emily patted his shoulder reassuringly as JJ handed her some more pizza. As they ate, drank, threw candy at each other and laughed; he felt the weight begin to lift from his shoulders. He couldn’t remember the last time the team had had the chance to just unwind. There was always another case or paperwork or juggling their home lives and ever since his attack, there had been more pressure and fear that hung over them. Tonight however, they were just some friends, hanging out in a hotel room and being able to forget the worries and fears. There would be another case tomorrow but tonight they would have fun.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: discussion of implied sexual assault. Nothing explicit.

“What did Strauss want to talk about?” Emily asked as she leaned against the counter. Ever since Aaron’s attack, Strauss had been monitoring the team closely but she had been scheduling meetings with him more frequently than usual. She could tell that it was something more serious than budget queries and none of the team had done something which required severe reprimand. The meeting she had summoned him to this evening had made them miss their dinner reservation but since the whole point of their relationship being a secret was to keep it a secret; they had had to wait and have dinner somewhere else. Now they were back at his to have a final drink and end the night. 

“There’s concern about my ability to lead the team. The higher ups want me to step down.” Aaron explained in a wavering tone. He didn’t want to step aside but he couldn’t deny that his ability to lead the team had not been the same. If he wasn’t hypervigilant, he was distracted and if he was distracted, he was taking risks.

“They want you to or Strauss wants you to?” Emily asked skeptically. She didn’t trust Strauss as far as she could throw her and she had fought the temptation to throw the Section Chief from the roof on more than one occasion. 

“They want to, Strauss is at least giving me the chance to choose who takes over.” Aaron replied, even though he knew there was only one possible answer.

“That’s generous,” Emily quipped sarcastically. “Don’t even think about suggesting me.”

For the first time that evening, Aaron cracked a faint smile. “And let the lunatic run the asylum?”

Emily swatted him with a tea towel and stuck her tongue out. “Well it definitely can’t be Rossi. Unless you want them to murder each other?”

“I mean, we could visit Rossi in prison.” Aaron remarked. “I was thinking Morgan would be the best option. He has the most experience and I can support him with the political side.”

“By which you mean, you know he won’t cuss Strauss out.” Emily stated as she flicked her thumb. “I suppose there’s also the fact that if you step down, it looks like you’re struggling.”

“There is that too, maybe it could cause him to slip up.” Aaron said darkly. It had already been almost four months. For four months they had been waiting for something to happen, attempting to find any sign or trace of Foyet and they had been going nowhere fast. “That it was finally getting to me.”

“It’s a risky move but if this is what we have to do, then we might have to.” Emily reasoned as she took his hand in hers. “Whatever happens, I’m here.”

“I know and that means more than I can say,” Aaron said as he wrapped his arms around her. It had been over a month now since they had started seeing one another and in between cases and working; they had been trying to spend time together, whether by watching movies, going to dinner but there was something. Something which Emily hadn’t mentioned yet but he knew she was thinking about. Because he was thinking about it. They were yet to be  _ intimate _ . 

He knew that Emily had been the one who read his charts in the hospital. She had been the one to get the full debrief from the doctors about the extent of his injuries. She knew the one thing that he hadn’t told the team and he trusted her enough to know that Emily hadn’t told them either. But they hadn’t talked about it yet. How could he tell her that he still had flashbacks? That he could still hear that taunt in his head, that sickening laugh as it happened?

_ ‘Maybe this will change how you profile?’ _

Ever since his attack, he couldn’t do anything sexual. He couldn’t become aroused or erect. He couldn’t bear to touch himself. Even the thought was enough to make his stomach lurch and his blood run cold. Aaron knew that sex wasn’t everything in a relationship but he suspected that Emily was getting frustrated. She always showed patience with him but in his experience, patience always ran out. 

“Hey, where’s your head at?” Emily asked carefully as she gently wiped the tears from his cheeks. Aaron shook his head under her thumbs, finding the words seemed almost impossible. Yet that was one of the things he loved most about Emily. When he couldn’t find the words, somehow she knew what he wanted to say. “I don’t mind waiting until you’re ready.”

“Are you sure?” Aaron asked nervously, lowering his gaze. Emily nodded and rested her head against his shoulder.

“I’m sure,” Emily replied. She didn’t mind waiting. Aaron was still recovering from the trauma of his attack and they knew that it wasn’t going to magically resolve itself. She couldn’t help but be reminded of the night she walked him back up to his apartment, after his first case back. Back then, the tension, fear and worry hung thickly in the air between them. But a lot had changed since then and this time, the words that she hadn’t been able to say were said. “Ask me to stay and I will.”

For a moment, Aaron didn’t speak. They hadn’t spent the night at one another’s place yet. That seemed like a line they hadn’t been able to cross yet. However he knew he couldn’t face another night alone, waking up panicked and breathless from another nightmare or flashback. When he wasn’t by himself, convincing himself that there was nothing in the shadows, not jumping at the small minor noises of the night. 

“Please stay.”

It was barely louder than a whisper but in the middle of their silent embrace; it had been as loud as a shout. There was so much contained within those two words. That went beyond staying the night, that carried the weight of all his burdens, all his fears and concerns. Emily nodded her assent before Aaron took his hand in hers and led her to the bedroom.

They didn’t need to say anything as they took turns using the bathroom and getting ready for bed. Nothing needed to be said as they lay under the duvet together. They had shared a bed before; there had been more than once when a lack of rooms, especially during JJ’s maternity leave, had resulted in the team sharing beds. Therefore, the expected awkwardness of sharing a bed for the first time was not there. Instead, they nestled into the bed and after a final kiss, allowed sleep to take over them. 

Emily jolted awake, blinking in the darkness, wondering what had caused her sudden return to consciousness. Emily propped herself up onto her elbow and felt Aaron tossing and turning beside her; there were tear tracks on his face and he was whimpering incoherently. She reached over and stroked his hair under her fingers. The gentle movements seemed to sooth him and a few minutes later, he woke up, looking around groggily before his gaze focused on Emily.

“Are you alright?” Aaron asked quickly as Emily removed her hand from his hair. 

“I’m fine, what happened?” Emily asked, she could tell from the way he looked at her and how he had immediately asked if she was alright that she had been a part of his nightmare. 

“It was that night but instead of me, he was stabbing you and I couldn’t do anything. I couldn’t move, couldn’t speak, I just froze as he stabbed you over and over and over again. It just seemed so real.” Aaron explained, he could still feel that terror that froze him in place, he could smell her blood in the air, hear that sickening laugh in his ears with each flash of the knife.

“It wasn’t real, I’m here and I’m OK.” Emily reassured. “Even if he burst through the door right now, I wouldn’t be afraid. Because it would be the two of us against him and we could take him down.”

“How can you be sure?” Aaron asked. There were times when he wished he had Emily’s strength and courage. There was a steel within her that was its strongest during times of crisis. Any time the team were in danger or things seemed at their worst; Emily had the iron will and resolve to keep them going. Whether it was watching Reid be tortured in Georgia, when the team were scattered to the winds trying to find him, even when she herself was being beaten to a pulp by Benjamin Cyrus and he had wanted to storm the compound and save her; Emily’s determination reminded them of how strong she was. 

As if reading his mind, Emily said the same words she had spat between goblets of blood and cries of pain. Only now they took on a deeper meaning. “I can take it.”

“You don’t have to,” Aaron reminded. She had an out. They both knew she wouldn’t take it but he couldn’t understand why she wouldn’t. He didn’t deserve her. 

“I know,” Emily replied. “But I will. Now let me get some sleep.” Aaron smiled softly and they nestled back under the duvet, occasionally shifting under the duvet or reaching out to touch the other. Finally however, sleep washed over them again and they drifted back off to sleep. 

When Emily woke up a second time, this was to the sound of the alarm clock going off. She could feel a warm weight across her stomach. She was lying on her side with Aaron spooning her. Her hand was resting over his and their legs were tangled together. She could feel him stirring behind her, her hair was in in his face. As the alarm clock kept ringing, neither of them moved, not willing to break the calm that lay over them. They would have to get up eventually, there was still work to be done.

But it could wait for a moment.


	6. Chapter 6

After that first night; Aaron and Emily took turns staying at one another’s apartment. Although they still slept separately when away on a case, as soon as they were home, they stayed together. Like many other things; it became adapted into their routine and if it helped prevent nightmares and allowed them the privacy to be together, then so be it. 

Most nights they just slept. Sometimes they stayed up late, whispering well into the night, sharing stories, memories, dreams and fears. More than once, one of them had woken to comfort the other from a nightmare; offering support and reassurance that the horrors of their world had not invaded this final sanctuary. Even if that wasn’t always true. There was something about waking up together, whether rolled away on opposite sides of the bed or curled up so close together that it was almost impossible to wriggle free without disturbing the other. 

They both had spent so long sleeping alone that it took some getting used to the feeling of having someone else there. Little habits that were both endearing and annoying; such as Aaron being a blanket hog and Emily refusing to turn her alarm off helped to provide that comfort. Those that made them feel a bit more normal. 

Emily groaned and buried her head in the pillow at the sound of a phone ringing. She could feel Aaron’s arm across her stomach as the sound roused him from sleep too. The phone was on her side of the bed and without lifting her head, Emily fumbled for the ringing phone and held it to her ear. 

“What do you want?” Emily asked sleepily as she rubbed her eyes. 

“Emily?” JJ asked curiously. “Why are you answering Hotch’s phone?”

_ Shit, _ Emily thought to herself as she sat up in bed. Aaron realised what must have happened and watched her run a hand through her hair. She thought quickly to come up with a convincing lie. Nothing believable came to mind but a half-truth would do. “I stayed at his apartment last night.”

“Really?” JJ asked eagerly. That sounded like something very interesting. There had been a lack of gossip between the three of them and this was something that she knew Garcia would be dying to find out.

“Not like that,” Emily lied, adopting a serious tone. “Seriously, JJ.”

“Alright, I'm saying nothing.” JJ said innocently. “Can you let me speak to him, we have a case.”

“Just a second,” Emily said as she held the phone away and mouthed the word ‘case’ at Aaron who sat up and took the phone. His tiredness was forgotten as he held up the phone.

“What is it JJ?” Aaron asked as Emily carefully slipped out of the bed and picked up her go-bag in order to get something to wear. By the time she emerged from the bathroom, Aaron had ended the call and turned to her. “What do you think?”

“I don’t mind telling her but right now, I don’t think it’s ideal.” Emily said. “We’re under enough scrutiny as it is.”

“I know, I don’t want you to have to feel like you have to lie to her.” Aaron said. Their relationship was something that was just for the two of them. They had made the decision not to tell the team about their relationship. There had been enough for the team to worry about without the fear that they might be separated due to Aaron and Emily’s relationship. 

“I know it’s not fair but I don’t think it’s time to tell them anything yet.” Emily replied and attempted a smile. “Besides, JJ’s would be one to talk about keeping relationships secret. If she can do it, so can we.”

“If that’s what you think, besides, she’s more likely to interrogate you about this than me.” Aaron said as he pulled some clothes from his wardrobe. 

“Let her try,” Emily replied as she kissed his cheek. “I’ll see you at work.”

“I’ll see you later,” Aaron said as Emily left the apartment. He wasn't sure why but something about the case JJ told him about didn't sit easy with him. A family annihilation in Hampton, only two hours away from them. That was the sort of thing they handed but there was something that JJ insisted could only be discussed in the office that worried him. He couldn't shake the feeling that something was about to happen. Something bad. 

Emily resisted the urge to roll her eyes as she stepped out of the elevator to find herself face to face with JJ and Garcia. She knew she would be walking straight into an interrogation. She was undecided whether it was a good or bad thing that JJ hadn’t told the guys what had happened this morning too. “Are we really doing this?”

“Yes, we are.” JJ said as she and Garcia each took one of Emily’s arms. Emily slipped out from their grasp and headed into the bullpen. 

“At least let me put this stuff down first.” Emily said as she slipped off her coat and dropped her bag at her desk. The instant the bag hit the table, JJ and Garcia took her arms and all but frogmarched her into Garcia’s office. Morgan had watched them go curiously but knew better than to intervene. He had learnt the hard way not to get involved with the women’s ‘girl chats’. Garcia turned the look and Emily tugged her arms free from the two women. “What was that for?”

“You know what that was for.” JJ replied. “What we want to know is why the hell were you staying at Hotch’s last night?”

“And don’t lie to us, we’ll know.” Garcia added. They had noticed a change in Emily’s behaviour recently, she wasn’t as involved in their gossiping or helping Garcia size up and rank the different agents in different departments. They also hadn’t had a girls’ night in far too long. In fact, outside of work, they had barely seen Emily at all. 

“Do you really want to know?” Emily asked, she had thought about this on the drive to Quantico and decided the best defense was to be over the top in her offense. If JJ wanted a scandal; she’d give them a scandal. Classic reverse psychology. 

“Obviously.” JJ and Garcia said at the same time. 

“Well then if you must know, Hotch and I are having a passionate, wild love affair and have been sleeping together for months. In fact when you called, he was just about to rock my world for the second time this morning.” Emily lied, using the right amount of sarcasm to make the lie work. As expected both JJ and Garcia laughed and bought the lie. 

“Come on Emily, you expect us to believe that?” JJ asked and Emily smiled.

“No,” Emily said truthfully before she looked at them seriously. This would be the tricky part, toeing the line between the truth and the lie. “In all seriousness, since his attack we’ve gotten close. For some reason, he opens up to me. Last night we were just talking and lost track of time so I crashed on his couch.”

“It’s good that he’s been able to talk about it. I was worried about him,” Garcia said seriously. All that anxiety, terror and fear would have torn her apart and she had been worried about him. Their friendship was important to her and Hotch was the strongest person she knew. 

“Yeah, me too. I didn’t think he’d talk to anyone about it.” JJ reasoned, she now felt bad about the jokes she had been making to Garcia. The idea of Hotch and Emily dating just seemed ludicrous to her. They were two such different people. “So when I called?”

“I was on the couch. He’d left his phone on the table.” Emily lied easily. She did feel bad about lying but this was the choice they had made. “Look, you guys know what he’s like. Hotch doesn’t open up to people or let them in. For some reason, he’s less emotionally constipated around me and if that helps him, then it helps.”

“You’re right,” Garcia said and turned to JJ. “See, I told you they weren’t dating.”

“I didn’t say they were dating. I just said that Emily stayed the night and seemed pretty quick to answer his phone.” JJ countered.

“Right here, JJ.” Emily reminded, content that they had believed her and eager to turn the conversation. “Besides, considering how much time we spend together and the fact we profile for a living; none of us would be able to hide anything from each other.”

“Good point,” JJ conceded. She had been certain that she had kept her relationship with Will a secret from the team only to have that bubble burst on the flight home by Emily herself who explained that they’d known all long; they just wished to respect her privacy. And with the team under so much scrutiny at the moment; it would be impossible for anyone, even Hotch and Emily to keep any shift in their relationship a secret. 

The conversation was cut off by a pointed knock at the door. Garcia unlocked it to find Aaron standing on the other side looking pointedly at JJ. “JJ, I thought we had a case,” 

“Oh right, sorry,” JJ apologised as she remembered what had caused this in the first place. “The files are in my office, get everyone into the conference room.”

A few minutes later, the team convened in the conference room as JJ handed out the files and Garcia set up the screen. “OK, this one is slightly different than usual. It looks to be the work of a family annihilator in Hampton, Virginia. Family of four, all shot except for the daughter who was drowned, all buried in the back yard. This follows another family; similar sort of make up, mother, two sons and daughter, killed and buried in the back yard, except for the father.”

“What makes this different?” Reid asked. It looked like a standard family annihilation. Save for the father not being there. Usually these crimes were committed by the father who would then take his own life or an unsub targeting the father leaving him for the last. 

“The fathers are both military men. One is in Iraq, the other is stationed in Afghanistan but that’s not what makes this one different. Early this morning, we got a call from Red Onion State,”

“What did they want?” Rossi asked as JJ looked at Morgan, Aaron and Reid. all of whom seemed to be following her train of thought. Family annihilation in Virginia. Families targeted with the aim of hurting the father; taunting him with the knowledge he couldn’t save his family. They had seen this before.

“Karl Arnold claimed to have received a letter from the Unsub; telling him what he’s done and he claims, it also talks about future victims. He’s demanding to speak to us.” JJ finished and the team shared a look. This definitely wasn’t going to be a good case. 


	7. Chapter 7

“Is there anything I need to know about Arnold?” Emily asked as Aaron drove towards the prison. “I remember studying his case file; he targeted families through the therapist’s office he worked in, tried to make it look like a murder-suicide done by the father, right?”

“Yes, mostly families who were under some sort of strain; debt, infidelity. The kind that would be seen as reasonable motive for the father to be blamed.” Aaron replied. He still remembered finding that box. Eight wedding rings. Eight families that had been slaughtered, just to compensate for Arnold’s own shortcomings. Something about those faded rings lying on the conference room table had always stuck with him; possibly because it had been his first case back after Jack had been born and had made him determined to keep his family safe from any harm. Look how well that had turned out. 

“Do you really think he has been contacted by the Unsub?” Emily asked. It had happened before. In their own twisted way, serial killers became icons for those looking to replicate or worship their footsteps. The really worrying ones were the sort of fans who deluded themselves into thinking the killer had done nothing wrong or worse; the ones who believed themselves to be in love with such a monster. 

“We can’t rule it out.” Aaron replied. “It’s happened before. Adrian Bale inspired a copycat who he advised to blow himself up, rather than be taken alive. If Arnold is corresponding with the unsub, we’ll need to know what he’s been saying.”

“You’d think he’d advise him not to let the BAU get involved,” Emily stated wryly. “You testified at Arnold’s trial, do you think he’ll be glad to see you?”

“I don’t really care but it might be a way to let his guard down.” Aaron said as he glanced down at his bare ring finger. He didn’t need to say anything else. Arnold’s murders happened before she joined the BAU, back when Aaron and Haley had still been married. It was the sort of thing Arnold would try to gloat about; despite his own wife having left him too. 

“So we get in, get the information we need and get out before he really pisses us off.” Emily reasoned and despite himself, Aaron smiled. 

Ever since JJ had told them that Karl Arnold had demanded to speak to them, he hadn’t been able to shake off the sick, twisted feeling in the pit of his stomach. All of his instincts were telling him that this was more than just coincidence. That their unsub just so happened to have written to Karl Arnold right before committing two seperate family annihilations and that it just happened to be right when that was his own worst nightmare; his family was at risk of being murdered. It all just seemed too much of a coincidence and in his experience; coincidences were never a good sign. 

By the time they reached the prison, it was mid-afternoon and there had been few updates from the team. Most worryingly was the news that another family had been killed, which meant another letter could be on its way. As they were led through security and towards the cells, Aaron looked at Emily. 

“Are you ready for this?” Aaron asked and she nodded.

“Ready as we will be,” Emily replied as they walked past the highest security prisoners. She tried and failed not to jump as one slammed himself against the glass, snarling and yelling at her.

“Reinforced glass,” Aaron muttered. “We should be OK.”

“Easy for you to say, he tore apart fourteen women.” Emily reminded Aaron wryly as they reached the room at the end of the hall. They stepped into the adjacent room and studied Arnold through the one way glass. 

“What do you think?” Emily asked quietly as Aaron studied Arnold. Four years in prison hadn’t changed him that much. He was still short and stocky and carried himself with the same arrogant superiority he had when Morgan had interrogated him. 

“If we start together and see what he knows. He might respond better to you.” Aaron reasoned as Emily linked his fingers with hers. 

“Whatever happens, we’ll deal with it together.” Emily said and they squeezed each other’s hands before they separated and nodded to the guard. They were ready to go in. 

“Agent Hotchner, long time no see,” Arnold drawled as Aaron and Emily walked into the room. “And you must be Agent Emily Prentiss, I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“I could say the same about you.” Emily retorted. She was trying to deflect the curveball that Arnold had immediately flung at them. She hadn’t joined the team when he had been arrested. He shouldn’t have known who she was. If not their unsub, then one of his correspondents had to be feeding him information about the BAU team. 

“You wanted to tell us about the letters, so tell us.” Aaron said curtly as Arnold smirked at him.

“Still all work and no play Agent Hotchner? Is that why your wedding ring is no longer there?” Arnold asked snidely. “It’s important for a man to spend time with his family as well as provide for them.”

“And yet your ex-wife still moved thousands of miles away from you.” Aaron retorted coldly. If Arnold wanted to play the games, he would play. For a time. “The letters.”

“Which ones? I receive quite a lot. I even have my own website that my fans set up for me.” Arnold explained as he looked at Emily. There was no mistaking the leer on his face as he looked her up and down, fixating on her chest both times. His friend had been right. Hotchner had landed a looker with this one. 

“If you’re just going to waste our time then we should go. You clearly don’t know anything.” Aaron said firmly as he and Emily stood. Arnold’s cold mocking laugh made them look at him.

“Oh I know far more than you do. What I really want to know is how long it will take you to work it out.” Arnold explained; he could see the cogs turning in their heads. This was almost too much fun. 

“Hotch, outside,” Emily said as they walked out of the room and back into the adjoining room. Those taunts were making the alarm bells ring louder and louder in her head. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

“I am but I don’t know whether it’s because our judgement is being clouded. Maybe we just want all of this to fit into a neat package.” Aaron replied as Emily shook her head.

“No, I think we’re on the right track. Think about it; he knew my name, he’s trying to taunt you about Haley leaving you and it’s like a game to him. He knows something we don’t know, and I don’t think it’s the name of the unsub.” Emily explained as she pulled out her phone. “Let’s see if the team have anything.”

“Hey Princess, how’s the Fox?” Garcia asked as Emily put her on speaker.

“Taunting us. Have the team got anything on the unsub?” Emily asked as Garcia glanced back at her screen. The images of the innocent murdered family would be in her nightmares for a while. 

“They have a potential lead, all of the families used Photobug to send photos to the fathers abroad. I’m running a list of employees who are based around Norfolk. I’ll try and cross reference with them with the names Red Onion gave us for Arnold’s creepy friends. There’s also a theory they’re considering, the daughters were the last ones killed. So the unsub might be female.” Garcia explained. “You guys doing OK?”

“We’re fine Garcia,” Aaron lied as he rubbed Emily’s arm reassuringly. “Can you also check the admins and people who are running Arnold’s fan site.”

“This creep has a fan site?” Garcia asked and resisted a shudder. “Of course; sickos love the internet, saves them having to speak face to face with people. Oh you love this serial killer? Me too, I love how he murders children. If I strike gold, I’ll let you know.”

“Thank you Garcia,” Aaron said sincerely as Garcia ended the call.

Emily looked contemplatively through the one way mirror again. She was no Reid but she knew quite a lot about their standard profile of family annihilators. They targeted families to either compensate or recreate what had happened with their own families. Arnold killed the husbands last. If the daughter was the last to die; the unsub had to be female, had siblings and underwent a severe trauma which involved her mother and siblings. For some reason, her father would have been absent. If the Unsub was female; that could be how they got Arnold to confirm whether or not he really had been contacted by the Unsub or if this was a twisted game.

“Emily,” Aaron prompted as Emily looked at him.

“I have a hunch. Let me speak to him alone.” Emily said and as she expected, Aaron shook his head.

“No,” Aaron protested. “Emily I can’t ask you to do that.”

“Good thing you’re not asking. Look, I don’t like this any more than you do but it might throw him off if I go in alone. You heard how he was trying to speak to me. If we can get him to slip up, this can work.” Emily explained. She didn’t like the idea of flirting with Arnold any more than Aaron did and she swore to herself she would never do it again. She quickly squashed those thoughts back into their mental box. Things were complicated enough without letting Lauren Reynolds out to play. 

“Don’t stay any longer than you have to. If he makes you feel uncomfortable, get out of there.” Aaron advised and Emily nodded. She didn’t trust herself to say the smart remark that was on the tip of her tongue. Instead she walked back into the room and took her seat again. 

“And now we’re alone.” Arnold remarked as he looked up at the one way mirror. “Well, almost.”

“What have you been told about the recent murders?” Emily asked as Arnold gestured with his bound hands to the photocopies on the table. News articles of the first two murders along with a handwritten note. 

_ Look what I did. _

“Had you received any contact from this person before the murders happened?” Emily asked and Arnold smirked.

“I told you; I get so many, it’s hard to keep up.” Arnold replied as he studied her intently. “It must be so distracting,”

“What?” Emily prompted as he leered openly at her. The lust in his eyes and the way his tongue flicked out to lick his lips told her everything that he was thinking about. All of it sexual. All of it about her. 

“For him to be working with someone so beautiful.” Arnold replied and although she couldn’t see him, Emily could almost sense Aaron rolling his eyes behind her. “The things I could do to you.”

“Thank you for that disgusting comment. If you receive so many letters, how did you know this one was legitimate? Surely anyone could have cut this out and sent it to you. How can you be so sure that this was worth our attention?” Emily challenged and Arnold smiled coldly at her. 

“He told me that you were clever. Beauty and brains indeed. Our friend Hotchner is a lucky man to get to spend his nights with you. I’d break the rules for you too.” Arnold said and Emily stood. That was what she needed to hear. Whoever was writing to Arnold was male. They were someone who knew that she and Aaron were together. That it was breaking the rules. Or a deal. 

“We’re done here.” Emily said as she stood and left the room. As she rejoined Aaron, she knew that he had come to the conclusion that she had. “Aaron,”

“Are you OK?” Aaron asked and Emily nodded. Truthfully, she wasn’t but that was something they could deal with after they were done here. 

“Fine,” Emily replied. “Let’s just go.”

“Oh, there’s one more thing.” Arnold called and Emily rolled her eyes. 

“Let’s get it over with.” Aaron replied. Until he heard those words or had the proof that Arnold was dangling over their heads, he couldn’t let fear take over. Although it was clear from every word Arnold said that their suspicions were correct; his contact was watching them, following them. Had used this case where the mother and children had been killed while the fathers were kept alive to bait them in. Because that was his plan too. 

“You’re a lucky man Hotchner, you know how to land on your feet. You lose your wife and kid but manage to land a hot piece of ass like Agent Prentiss.” Arnold sneered as he held out his hands. An envelope rested between his fingers. “He wanted me to give you this when you worked out who he was.”

Aaron snatched the envelope and slid a finger under the seal. Instead were two pieces of paper. Both were enough to shatter the last of his resolve and let fear flood through him. The first was a photocopy of his original deal to Shaunessy with the Eye of Providence drawn over it. 

The second was the piece of paper with Haley and Jack’s address that he had torn from Aaron’s address book. 

“Shit,” Emily breathed as Aaron turned and walked out of the room without a word. She could hear Arnold’s laughter echoing off the walls behind them and she knew that right now, nothing could be said. Nothing useful anyway. They needed to speak to the team and get back to the BAU. Whatever Foyet was planning, it was going to happen soon. And they needed to be ready. 


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm still working out how '100' will play out and I wanted to explore the aftermath of Outfoxed.

“Garcia, any luck on that list yet?” Emily asked as she watched Aaron’s grip tighten on the steering wheel. He hadn’t said a word since Arnold gave him the letter and she could tell that he was about to break. 

“I’m working on it but it’s literally a needle in a haystack. He could have used any sort of alias, I don’t know where to start.” Garcia replied and Emily considered this. This had to be Foyet’s plan for months. He had back up plans for his back up plans. He wouldn’t have decided on a whim to contact Karl Arnold. Therefore he would have been careful to cover his tracks, not to let a single clue give him away. 

“Look at who has been in contact with him from the beginning. Any who suddenly stopped should be double checked to ensure it wasn’t an alias that he dropped. Use those original aliases from his Boston addresses and jobs. We can’t rule those out. Also because he’s targeting Haley and Jack, we need to contact the US Marshalls, especially Sam. He needs to know he’s going to be a target.” Emily replied. Right now one of them had to be level headed and pragmatic and she could tell Garcia was just as terrified as they were. 

“Right, right, I will do that. The others are on their way back. They’re going to start going through the photocopies of Arnold’s letters that Red Onion are sending over.” Garcia explained as she twisted a small stress ball that Reid had given her between her hands. She couldn’t remember the last time she felt so helpless in spite of all the resources she had in front of her. It felt like they were chasing wisps of smoke. 

“Keep us updated. We’ll see you later Garcia.” Emily said as she ended the call and looked at Aaron. Carefully, she reached over and set a hand on his arm but he didn’t even blink at her touch. 

Ever since Arnold said Emily’s name, he had had that sickening twist of fear in his stomach that he had had that night in his apartment. What he had always suspected and worried was true; Foyet had been watching them, stalking them. He knew about Emily, how close they had gotten. A worrying majority of his original victims had been pretty young brunettes. How long had he been watching them? What was he planning? Had the message been a taunt? Had he somehow already found Haley and Jack? What if he was there now?

He could see the images in his mind’s eye. He would target Haley first. He wouldn’t shoot her, instead he would stab her repeatedly, relishing in her screams. Then when she was dead, he would do the same for Jack, he would laugh at how scared Jack was. Jack would be afraid, confused and wondering why his father wasn’t there to save him. Aaron could picture it so vividly that he could hear their screams, their sobs, Foyet’s laughter. He could smell their blood as it dripped from his knife and their bodies. 

A wave of nausea crashed over him and his stomach lurched. Before Emily could even ask what he was doing, Aaron had pulled over to the side of the road and leapt from the car. Emily unbuckled her seat belt and got out of the car to see Aaron bent double as he vomited on the side of the road. 

“Get it up, champ,” Emily muttered as she patted his back. Aaron coughed and spat as Emily rubbed his back.

“Thanks,” Aaron said quietly as Emily reached back into the car for her bottle of water. It was tepid and had been opened since this morning but it was something for Aaron to rinse his mouth with at least. Aaron took the water gratefully and spat the remnants on the roadside. 

“Get in the passenger side, I’m driving.” Emily ordered as Aaron shook his head. “Aaron, you’re in no condition to drive and I’d rather get back to Quantico in one piece.”

“Alright,” Aaron said as they got back into the car. “I should have realised this would happen.”

“You couldn’t have known,” Emily reassured as she pulled back onto the highway. “But now we know what he’s planning, we can try and stop him. We know he’s local; he has to be if he’s been stalking us that much.”

“And if he senses the net closing in, he’ll lash out or run.” Aaron finished. He couldn’t foresee any way of this ending without more people dying because of him. Haley. Jack. Emily. Sam. The team. Any person who had the misfortune of crossing Foyet’s path as he hunted for blood. 

“Then we’ll make sure he doesn’t know it’s happening until it is. He’s targeting Haley and Jack; Garcia’s contacting Sam and his team so they’re aware of what’s happening.” Emily explained as she sighed heavily. “I can’t tell you that everything’s going to be alright because we don’t know if everything is going to be alright. But whatever happens, we’re in this together.”

“But what if-” Aaron begun and Emily cut across him.

“No ‘buts’ and no ‘what ifs’. There are only two certainties we have right now. We will find Foyet. And when we find him; we  _ will _ kill him.” Emily said with a cold resolve in her voice that he had never heard before. 

It was a part of the job that they all struggled with, when faced with an Unsub who decided that suicide by cop was the only way to go down or when there had been no other choice to save the life of a victim or hostage. Those decisions were the ones that haunted them the most; wondering if there could have been another way. A way to end it without more death, whether by shooting to wound or not shooting at all. This was different. This was the ice cold promise to ensure the unsub did not get out alive. No chances. No negotiations. No trail. No mercy. It was kill or be killed. And if they didn’t kill. People would be killed. 

“Emily,” Aaron began and Emily looked at him as they pulled into the traffic outside a town just off the freeway. 

“I mean it. You know how this will end, even if it stays between us and the team. You’re thinking it, I’m thinking it, the whole team has been thinking it. We know we’re long past the point where any other option could work.” Emily explained as the traffic slowly inched along. 

“I can’t ask any of you to do that.” Aaron reasoned. This was his fault, his mess to deal with. If anyone was going to kill Foyet, it would be him.

“Good job you didn’t ask us. We made this decision months ago Aaron. We all know how this will end.” Emily said firmly as she squeezed his hand. 

It was late by the time they got close to Quantico. The team had spent the evening chasing leads and eliminating names but they were still not closer to finding Foyet as they had been before they met with Arnold. Garcia had managed to contact Sam Kissmeyer and his team so at least they were aware of the threat coming their way. It was almost midnight by the time they turned off the highway and Aaron knew he had to send the team home. They were exhausted and running on fumes was only going to be a hindrance rather than a help. Besides, he couldn’t expect them all to run themselves into the ground like this. 

“Who’s still there?” Aaron asked Rossi who rubbed his eyes.

“Just me, Morgan and Garcia. Reid took a bunch of the letters home but his leg was causing him too much pain and JJ’s gone home because Henry’s sick.” Rossi replied, they were all completely exhausted, he had about enough energy to drive himself home but nothing else. 

“Right go home, get some sleep. We’ll carry on tomorrow.” Aaron decided. “I mean it Dave, you’ve all done enough today.”

“On our way, you and Emily do the same.” Rossi replied and ended the call. Emily changed lanes and deliberately missed the turning that would have taken them back via Quantico.

“You’re staying at mine tonight,” Emily decided. She knew Aaron was going to insist that he stay by himself. Mostly so that he could obsessively study all of his case files and information on Foyet; determined to find that one missing piece of the puzzle to finally catch him. 

“I don’t think-” Aaron began and Emily cut across him.

“It’s too late to think I’m at risk. I already am. This isn’t going to change things. Besides, you need to at least try and rest. He wants you run down, ragged and afraid. You’re not going to be any use to any of us if you are.” Emily insisted. In the office and in the field, there was no denying Aaron was the boss. In their relationship, it was a shared partnership and position. And right now, she needed to be in control. 

“I know, I’m just so tired.” Aaron confessed weakly and it was the lack of fight in his tone that worried her. It had been six months; six months of worrying, looking over his shoulder, recalling the trauma of that night. How could he be anything but tired? 

“I know but this will be over soon,” Emily reassured and Aaron flinched at those words. He had heard those words before, they were spat maliciously at him as he lay beaten, bloody and violated on his floor. “I’m sorry,”

“It’s fine,” Aaron said tersely, shutting those thoughts and memories to the back of his mind. “Let’s go home.”

Neither of them got much sleep that night. They had double and triple checked the doors and windows, their service weapons were on the floor on both sides of the bed, within reach if needed. The tension hung in the air between them; they didn’t need to speak. There was no point filling the air with empty promises and speaking their fears aloud felt like tempting them into reality. There was no telling of what the dawn would bring. There was no way of knowing what would come next. They could hope for the best outcome but there was no way that things could be easy. Anything and everything could happen. 

And that was terrifying. 


End file.
